It is believed that a few hundred people nationwide have been voluntarily implanted, usually in the upper arm, with microchips that can allow the individual to gain access to secure areas or, in the case of doctors, health records. Civil liberties advocates argue that if the chips are put into widespread use, they could allow people to be tracked or monitored without their knowledge and raise issues of identity theft.

Rep. Guest pushed this bill even though the issue had not surfaced in the state. We agree that mandatory implants, if it ever came to that, would raise serious concerns for society.

The Northwest Missouri lawmaker also wants the state to opt out from complying with the Real ID Act, which aims to make driver’s licenses more secure and requires states to share databases containing licensees’ personal information. This effort is not going as well.

Rep. Guest fears Real ID could lead to a national ID card that could be compromised and threaten the user’s privacy. ::FULL OPINION HERE::